The objective of this talk is to deconstruct the unfolding tourist culture in Xinjiang through the perspective of theme park or Disneyification, a process where consumption culture and experience economy merge and different types of heritage (natural and cultural) are packaged in a consumable way (such as in a theme park). This deconstruction is based on visual ethnographic analysis of Uyghur cities as self-contained theme parks and is informed by the fieldwork conducted in various parts of Xinjiang in 2022-2025. While it largely focuses on urban tourist clusters of Kashgar and Turpan the study also contributes to decoding ritual interaction chains (to use the term proposed by R. Collins) of tourists in places, which are often featured in “the grand tour” of most tourists in China. These trips are usually related to the visits of significant part of the natural landscape, which also makes part of the cultural landscape in Xinjiang, (the trip to Karakul lake, Tianchi Lake, Silk Road cities in the Eastern Xinjiang, Kuqa and Tian Shan mountains, Altay mountains etc.) The talk will discuss diverse ways how Uyghurness or otherness is packaged and presented to Chinese tourists within the narrative of single national idea. Different mechanisms are visible within the sphere of tourism, such as creation of new Han-based narratives and omission of Uyghur-based narratives. Uyghur cultural landscape as a specific landscape is also presented as a typical Chinese landscape, but part of the diverse ethnic tapestry in China. At the same time, refabrication of urban heritage for tourist consumption is not particularly unique, as it follows the same trend as in other parts of China (or urban centres in general) and is dictated by development goals, safety standards and commercial interests. As an example of old town of Kashgar will demonstrate, Uyghurs (locals and tourists) as much as Han tourists may welcome refabrication of what the western eye may conceptualize as authentic. Local consumers as much as authorities are part of the bigger tourism industry machine, where new sights (fengjingqu) are manufactured and eagerly consumed. Where authenticity is not necessarily the key attraction, while the atmosphere (and experience of atmosphere) becomes and remains the key attractive side of the trip to Xinjiang.

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